Isaiah Austin #21 of the Baylor Bears celebrates with fans after defeating the Creighton Bluejays 85-55 in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the AT&T Center on March 23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas.

In retrospect, maybe placing seven teams in the NCAA Tournament was the easy part for the Big 12.

As impressive as the NCAA selection committee endorsement was this year, bringing home the national championship trophy has been even more difficult for one of the nation’s power conferences.

“Certainly, the holy grail is first the tournament and then the Final Four,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said before the tournament began.

Now just two Big 12 teams —Baylor and Iowa State — remain with a title chance. If either succeeds, it would join Kansas in 2008 as the only members to win a national title since the conference formed before the 1996-97 season.

(No, the two Kansas titles and the two Oklahoma State championships — as Oklahoma A&M — don’t count for these purposes.)

The Big 12 has come close before, putting two teams each in the 2002 and 2003 Final Fours. And Kansas has two runner-up trophies to go with its national title.

Big expectations for the league became a double-edged sword with five early losses in this tournament.

“Even though the Big 12 hasn't done necessarily well in the NCAA Tournament, it’s definitely a strong league and really prepared us for this tournament,” Iowa State forward Melvin Ejim said, “especially winning the tournament and going against three competitive teams night after night and playing at such a high level.”

Iowa State at least was a third seed.

Baylor was just a No. 6 seed despite being one of the nation’s hottest teams down the stretch. The Bears have won 12 of their last 14 games.

“I think we’ve all learned one thing from March Madness and that is seeds really don’t matter,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew, 8-3 in NCAA play. “That’s why — what was it? — 11 million had incorrect brackets at the end of the Round of 32. So when you’re in the NCAA Tournament, if you don't play well, you go home. If you play well, it doesn’t guarantee you advance.”

Here’s the breakdown of the Big 12 teams that were good enough and fortunate to reach a Final Four:

2008: Mario Chalmers delivers for Kansas

For all his regular-season success at Kansas, coach Bill Self had plenty of doubters. First-round exits to the Killer B’s (No. 14 seed Bucknell in 2005 and No. 13 Bradley in 2006) had fans wondering if Self could deliver a Final Four run, which is all but expected in Rock Chalk Jayhawk territory. He and Kansas erased all doubts in 2008 against Memphis 75-68 thanks to a clutch shot by Mario Chalmers.

What everybody remembers: Chalmers took one dribble and let fly from near the top of the 3-point circle, sending the game to overtime with 2.1 seconds to play. Kansas went on to outscore Memphis, 12-5, in overtime and claim a title on the 20th anniversary of Danny and Miracles upsetting Oklahoma.

What people forget: Memphis led by nine with two minutes to play and missed four free throws down the stretch.

Quotable: “It will probably be the biggest shot ever made in Kansas history.” — Self on Chalmers’ shot in regulation

2002: Two Final Four teams but no title game

It’s only a dozen years ago but it sure seems like more. Roy Williams was the coach at Kansas and his Jayhawks still are the only team to go undefeated through a Big 12 schedule. With Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, Kansas featured three players who are still in the NBA. Oklahoma was clearly the second-best Big 12 team with coach Kelvin Sampson and guard Hollis Price.

What everybody remembers: Kansas and Oklahoma each built first-half leads, fell behind and then rallied late. The Jayhawks couldn’t stop Maryland’s Juan Dixon (33 points) in a 97-88 loss. Indiana reserve Jeff Newton came off the bench to score 19 points in 23 minutes in a 73-64 victory over the Sooners.

What people forget: Indiana was coached by Bob Knight replacement Mike Davis, who took Texas Southern to this year’s NCAA Tournament. And Davis’ replacement at Indiana would be Sampson before his troubles with the NCAA.

Quotable: “You know, it always hurts. It makes no difference: Final Four, second round, whatever. Again, I enjoy my relationship with my players. I've told some of you guys, maybe some of you guys have seen it on my desk, a little glass, says, ‘Statistics are important, but relationships last a lifetime.’ ” —Roy Williams

2003: Texas, Kansas can’t solve Carmelo

For the second consecutive year, the Big 12 placed two teams in the Final Four. Led by electric guard T.J. Ford, Texas was back for the first time in 56 years. Coach Rick Barnes was receiving all kinds of praise for taking the Longhorns to the next level at a traditional football school. Kansas was back again with Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich seeking a title that had eluded them the previous year. Neither team had counted on Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony taking his name to another level.

What everybody remembers: Anthony provided a preview of his scoring machine future in the NBA. Anthony scored 33 points against Texas and 20 points in the title game against Kansas, becoming the first freshman to win Final Four most outstanding player honors since Louisville’s Pervis Ellison in 1986.

What people forget: Anthony wasn’t a solo act. Freshman Gerry McNamara scored 19 points in a 95-84 win over Texas. In the 81-78 title game win over Kansas, 6-9 Hakim Warrick blocked a 3-pointer in the final second.

Quotable: “Well, obviously we're disappointed. But yet, as I reflect back right now, you know, I think we broke down a lot of barriers this y ear for Texas basketball.” — Rick Barnes

2004: Eddie Sutton gets Oklahoma State back

After success at Arkansas and Kentucky, a recruiting scandal and problems with alcohol, 68-year-old Eddie Sutton made one more run at the NCAA title with Oklahoma State. Sutton had a transfer-heavy team that had offensive balance and plenty of grit. John Lucas III brought a cerebral presence to the backcourt while shooting guard Tony Allen flashed athleticism.

What everybody remembers: Georgia Tech guard Will Bynum scored on a driving layup to break a 65-65 tie. Trailing by as many as 12, Oklahoma State had tied the score on a 3-pointer by Lucas with 26.3 seconds remaining.

What people forget: Bynum and Allen were teammates at Chicago’s Crane High School. When Bynum decided to transfer from Arizona, his final two choices were Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State.

Quotable: “You know, I’m just hurt right now. I just put all the blame on me. I was supposed to lock up, and I didn't. That's basically all you can say. Doesn't matter if I hit the shot, I didn't do my part on the other end.” — Lucas, who was guarding Bynum on the game-winning basket.

2012: Kansas makes it interesting

The Final Four was supposed to be a coronation for Kentucky and its NBA-team-in-waiting, along with a championship validation for John Calipari. The Wildcats and Calipari delivered, although Kansas made it far more interesting than most people expected, led by forward Thomas Robinson (18 points, 17 rebounds).

What everybody remembers: Kentucky led by as many as 16 in the second half. Much like Calipari’s Memphis team did against Kansas in 2008, the Wildcats threatened to cough away the lead and a title. This time, Calipari’s players made enough free throws when it counted for a 69-57 win.

What people forget: Kentucky’s Anthony Davis put together a remarkable stat line of 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals. Still, the most amazing stat might have been the way he produced those numbers and most outstanding player honors despite shooting 1-of-10 from the field.

Quotable: “In a couple days I might look back and say this is a great year, we had a great year. But right now it's just a bad feeling. It's a bad feeling being so close, working so hard for four years for this one game.” — Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor

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